Freight-car door.



P. M. ELLIOTT.

FREIGHT GAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4. 1913.

1,088,774. Patented Mar.3, 914.

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FREIGHT UAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED 21m, 1913 Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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P. MIBLLIOTT.

FREIGHT GAR DOOR.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 4, 1913.

1,088,774. Patented Mar. 3, 19:4.

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ferc g .MILZUU [I To. all. whom it may concern UNITED STATES PATENT onmon.

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wtctficatton 0! Letters Patent.

Application filed February 4, 1913. Serial No. 746,114.

Pat nt d Mar. 3,1914.

Be it known that I, PERCY M. ELLro'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clueago in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Im rovements in Freight-0ar Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in sacred to fraught flare. and more parf'cular y to frei pt car oors.

-. The sliding doors of freight cars are,

' owing to their exposed positions at the sides of the cars, subjected to a. great deal of wear and tear, andavhen ma 6 ontlrely of wood must be quite heavy in order, to possess the requisite strength, and even then to y they are frequently m ured through contact with ad acent OhJects. Furthermore,

in. order-that there. may be weather and dust proof joints between the peripheral edges of the door andthe frame around the door ening, it is necessary that strips Should e secured to the door to overlap or interlock with strips secured around the door opening.

The primary object of my invention 1s to provide a reinforced sheet metal door for freight cars, which will possess the necessary structural strength with minimum weight, and in which the metal of which the door composed may be provided with integral strips or flanges to form dust and weather-proof joints around the door to protect the contents of the car.

A further object of my invention is to provide a freight car door which will be Simple in construction and durable 1n use,

and will possess maximum strength with minimum weight.

My invention will be more. fully disclosed hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in several conven ient. and practical forms, and in which- Figure 1 is an elevational view of one form of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section on line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3. a horizontal section on line 3-3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified arrangement of the sheet metal covering of the doors- Fig. 5, a sectional view on line 5-5, Fig. 41;. Fig. 6, an enlarged vertical section, showing my improved door and theadjacent coiiperating arts of the car side, the centfal portion eing broken away and Fig.

. which are connected by the transverse members. C, D and E. The vertical and trans verse members of the door frame arestrengthened by means of pairs of diagonals F and F and G. and G extending from the corners of the frame to the center thereof.

Secured to the outer surface of the door frame is a sheet metal covering preferably cmmposed of sections H, K and L. The ad- {omm edges of the. said sections are ovcrappe in the manner shown in Fig. 2, to form weather-proof joints. The upper edge of the to section H of the sheet metal covering is out around the up or surface of. the top horizontal member of the door frame, and is then bent upwardly to form a flange it projecting in substantially the plane of the inner surface of the door frame. The vertical front edge of the sheet metal door covering is bent around the vertical member A of the door frame so as to form vertical plates which will protect the frame and will alfo closely engage the stop plate when the (001- is closed, as will be subsequently described. a

' The lower edge of the sheet metal cow ering is bent inwardly around the lower member E of the door frame and thence downwardly to form a dependin flange Z.

The rear edge of the sheet meta covering is bent around the rear surface of the vertical member B of the door frame, and is thence bent inwardly to form a weather strip 0, as shown in Fig. 8.

In order to more fully protect the frame of the door, and to add the requisite structural strength to the door, a plate M is sccurcd along the inner surface of the top member C of the frame, while a plate N is secured along the inner surface of the lower member E. of the frame and overlaps the dowwardly pro 'cctin flange Z. A vertical lngle strip 8) is a 0 provided around the inner and rear surface of the vertical member B'of the frame, as shown in Fig. 3. Ini-lie'u' of forming, the, sheet metal covercal. member A of the door frame, while ref-.

erence character h designates the upwardly projecting flange formed integrally with the upper edge of the sheetmetal covering. Z indicates a downwardly projecting flange formed integrally with the lower edge of the sheet metal docr covering and 0' the inwardly projectingstrip formed integrally with the rear edge of the metal door covering, andextending around the reinforcing angle strip 0.

The functions to be performed by the marginal'fianges, plates and strips formed integrally with the sheet metal door covering, will be more clearly understood by -reference to Figs. 6 and 7 in which T indicates a horizontal Z-bar side of the top of thecar side and the overlying portion of the roof, and arranged with oneflange projecting outwardly over the door opening. I

S designates a track secured to the outwardly projecting horizontal flange of the Z-beam T upon which is supported the door through the medium of the usual hangers .R' and R The track S is provided with :1 depending flange s which overlaps the upwardly projecting flange it formed along t e top of the door so as to insure the pro er guiding of the door in its opening and 0 csing movements, and also so as to form an obs ruction to the ingress of dust and foreign matter between the top of the door and overlying track. By reference to Fig. 7 it will be seen that the portion of the sheet metal plate which is bent around the front vertical member A of the door frame engages the outwardly projecting [hinge of the angle bar W which forms the door post, and rests against the outer flange of the channel beam door jamb' V. The inwardly extending strip 0 which extendsaround the rear of the door frame engages a weather strip u secured to the rear door post U, thereby forming a weather and dust proof joint at the rear of the door when it is closed. The depending flange Z, together with the reinforcing plate N, form a guide at the lower edge of the door to be engaged by the door guide brackets ll in the opening and closing movements 2 of the door.

plate intermediate shown as made of wood to which the sheet metal coverin is secured and around which it is. bent to orm the horizontal guide and weather strips and flanges.

From'the foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented an improved door for freight cars comprising a door frame and a sheet metal door covering secured to the frame and bent around the same so as to form the guide flanges and weather strips for cooperating with the track, door guide brackets, and door posts to guide the door in its opening and closing movements and to form dust and weather-proof joints around the door when closed.

It will he further observed that by my improvements a car door may be constructed which will possess the structurai strength necessary to withstand the hard usage to which car doors are subjeeted, and which at the same 'time'will be comparatively light and inexpensive to manufacture.

I claim:

1. In a freight car door, the combination with a rectangular wooden door frame, of a sheet metal covering secured to the outer. side of said frame and bent around the peripherv thereof, a flange formed integrally with the upper edge of said metal covering and projecting upwardly therefrom in substantially the plane of the inner surface of said frame, a reinforcing plate overlying the inner flush surfaces of said flange an adjacent frame member, a flange formed in tegrally with the bottom edge of said metal entering and projecting from in substantially the plane of the inner surface of said frame, and a reinforcing plate overlying the inner alined surfaces of said latter flange and the adjacent lower frame member.

In a freightcar door, the combination with a wooden door frame, of a sheet metal covering securedto the outer side of said frame and bent around the periphery thereof, a flange formed integrally with the upper edge of said metal covering and projecting upwardly therefrom in substantially the plane of the inner surface of said frame, a reinforcing plate overlying the alined inner surfaces of said flange and adjacent member of said frame, a flange formed integrally with the rear edge ofvsaid metal covering and projectin inwardly therefrom so as to form :1. went ier strip adapted to overlap a cooperating strip at the rear of the door opening, a reinforcing plate overlying the inner surface of the rear wooden frame member, and a jamb plate formed integrally with the front edge of said metal covering and overlying the inner surface of the front member of said frame so as to engage the door jamb at the front of the In the preferred embedimrnts of my in vention above described,the door frame is 1 d or when the door is closed.

3. [n a freight car door, the combination downwardly there- A er ed e of said metal coverin and with a wooden door frame, of a sheet metal covering secured to the outer side of said frame and bent around the periphery thereof, a flange formed integrally with the uprojecting upwardly therefrom in substantially the plane of the inner surface of said frame, a reinforcing plate overlying the alined inner surfaces of said flange and adjacent member of said frame, a flange formedin; tegrally with the rear edge of said metal covering and projecting inwardly therefrom so as to form a weather strip adapted to overlap-a cooperating strip at the rear of the door opening, a ainb plate formed integrally with the front edge of said metal covering and overlying the inner surface of the front member of said frame so as to engage the door jamb at the front of the door when the door is closed, a flange formed integrally with the lower edge of said metal covering and dependin therefrom from the plane of the inner surface of said frame to engage door guide brackets, and a bottom reinforcing plate overlying the alined inner surfaces of said latter flange and the adjacent member of said frame.

4. In a freight car having a door opening in its side wall, a track above the door opening having a depending flange thereon, a vertical weather strip at the rear of the" door opening, a door comprising a Wooden door frame and a sheet metal covering securedthereto, hangers for suspending the door from said track, a flange formed integrally with the upper edge of said metal covering and projecting upwardly therefrom to overlap the depending flange on said track, the reinforcing plate overlyin the alined inner surfaces of said flange an the adjacent member of said frame, a flan e formed integrally with the rear edge of said the door opening, a doorcomprlsing a' wooden frame and a sheet metal covering secured thereto, hangers for supporting said door from said track, a flange formedintegrally with the upper edge of said metal covering and projecting upwardly therefrom to overlap the depending flange of the said track, a reinforcin plate overlyin the alined inner surfaces of said flange, an adjacent member of said frame, formed integrally with the rear edge of said metal covering and projecting inwardly therefrom so as to overlap the said vertical weather strip, a jamb plate formed integrally with the front edge of said metal a covering and extending around the front member of the doorframe so as to engage the front door post when the door is closed,a flange formed integrally with the lower edge of said metal covering and depending therefrom between the door uide brackets and the car side, and a rain orcing plate over lyin the alined inner surfaces of said latter fiange and the adjacent member of the door frame.

In testimony whereof, I'have subscribed my name.

PERCY MxELLTOTT. Witnesses ANNA L. WALTON, HENRY A. PARKS.

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